Method and Apparatus to Facilitate Providing On-Demand Access to Internet Media Content with Other Televised Content

Abstract

An audio-visual content service provider ( 200 ) processor ( 201 ) receives ( 102 ) an end user ( 203 ) selection of at least one particular Internet media content channel via an audio-visual content service provider-end user interface. The audio-visual content service provider then provides ( 103 ) on-demand access to this at least one particular Internet media content channel to this end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels. By one approach, the audio-visual content service provider can receive the described end user selection via a browser-based interface.

1 . A method comprising:
 at an audio-visual content service provider processor:
 receiving end user selection of at least one particular Internet media content channel via an audio-visual content service provider-end user interface; 
 providing on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the audio-visual content service provider comprises a Community Access Television (CATV) service provider. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the audio-visual content service provider-end user interface comprises a browser-based end user interface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one particular Internet media content channel comprises a channel that provides access to a particular genre of streaming audio-visual content. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the genre comprises at least one of:
 most popular video clips;   a sports-based genre;   a comedy-based genre;   a celebrity-based genre;   a news-based genre.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein receiving end user selection of at least one particular Internet media content channel comprises receiving selections from each of a plurality of end users of at least one corresponding particular Internet media content channel from amongst a plurality of candidate Internet media content channels. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising:
 pre-registering Internet media content sources with the audio-visual content service provider to thereby form the plurality of candidate Internet media content channels.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels comprises locally storing media content from at least one particular Internet media content source at the audio-visual content service provider to thereby provide stored content and then recalling the stored content to provide the on-demand access to the end user. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels comprises combining media content from a particular Internet media content source with supplemental content when providing on-demand access to the particular Internet media content channel. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus comprising:
 an audio-visual content service provider processor that is configured and arranged to:
 receive end user selection of at least one particular Internet media content channel via an audio-visual content service provider-end user interface; 
 provide on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels. 
   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the audio-visual content service provider comprises a Community Access Television (CATV) service provider. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the audio-visual content service provider-end user interface comprises a browser-based end user interface. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the at least one particular Internet media content channel comprises a channel that provides access to a particular genre of streaming audio-visual content. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the genre comprises at least one of:
 most popular video clips;   a sports-based genre;   a comedy-based genre;   a celebrity-based genre;   a news-based genre.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the audio-visual content service provider processor is further configured and arranged to receive end user selection of at least one particular Internet media content channel by receiving selections from each of a plurality of end users of at least one corresponding particular Internet media content channel from amongst a plurality of candidate Internet media content channels. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein the audio-visual content service provider processor is further configured and arranged to pre-register Internet media content sources with the audio-visual content service provider to thereby form the plurality of candidate Internet media content channels. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the audio-visual content service provider processor is further configured and arranged to provide on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels by locally storing media content from at least one particular Internet media content source at the audio-visual content service provider to thereby provide stored content and then recalling the stored content to provide the on-demand access to the end user. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the audio-visual content service provider processor is further configured and arranged to provide on-demand access to the at least one particular Internet media content channel to the end user as a selectable viewing channel along with other televised audio-visual content channels by combining media content from a particular Internet media content source with supplemental content when providing on-demand access to the particular Internet media content channel.